How I Cleared Up My Skin

You know those girls you always envied in high school because they had absolutely flawless skin and never needed to wear any foundation? Well, I wasn't one of them. Up until quite recently, clearing up my skin has been an uphill battle. I've lost count of the amount of money I've spent and the products I've tried that haven't worked, but the acne fighting products I've been using since the start of the year have made a drastic difference.

I know skincare can be extremely fiddly, so what works for me won't necessarily work for everyone, but I hope you'll at least find something useful if you've got problematic skin like I do. As a disclaimer, skincare is one thing I don't necessarily mind spending money on, given that I find something that works really well. I'm not covering my whole skincare routine, just the blemish and scar busting stuff- since I want to be really thorough, and also not bore you to pieces. Anyways, fair warning this post is probably going to be long- but I hope you find it helpful!

The Backstory
My skin has always been quite temperamental. I remember suffering from a ton of blackheads before I was even a teenager. While I've never had severe, cystic acne, I've had my share of pretty terrible breakouts that have led to discolouration and scarring. My skin marks very easily- I can leave a pimple alone until it's gone, and I'll probably still have pigmentation when it's gone (gotta love those genetics!). As far as oil goes, I'd say I'm combination to oily, because I generally only have issues with being shiny around my nose and a little bit on my forehead and chin.

Honestly, over the last five years, I feel like I must have tried every product under the sun and spent an exorbitant amount of money trying to find a routine that's really worked for me. I was on Proactiv for two years, and while that did work, all hell broke loose the second I stopped using it. I didn't break out that often, but when I did, it was absolutely terrible. I'm talking like the pimples under the skin, which are a pain in the butt to treat and hurt like hell. With the products I'm using now, I'm finding that the frequency and severity of breakouts has decreased drastically- and the marks from previous ones are starting to fade.


My Blemish Fighting Routine

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser ($14.99) is part of Neutrogena's newest line and is what I'm using most frequently as a night time cleanser. The micro beads aren't too abrasive, just abrasive enough that you know they're doing their job. This has alpha and beta hydroxy acids, which are brilliant at preventing future breakouts and also lessening the duration of current ones. Glycolic acid was a key ingredient I looked for, as it's meant to help skin turnover and help fade scarring. I can't say I've noticed a drastic difference as far as pore size goes, but this has been a winner in terms of keeping my skin clear.

Clearasil Daily Clear Gel Wash ($9.99) is my choice for a morning cleanser. I feel like Clearasil's pretty well loved by everyone. Their products are great at an affordable price point, and this one's no exception. It gets the job done without being too drying, which is something I'm mindful of as I'll end up getting even oilier during the day. It's also got some gentle beads for exfoliating, so bonus points for waking me up at the start of the day.

Garnier Skin Naturals Pore Purifying Toner, I think this one's been replaced by the pore refining toner in their new line for oily/combo skin. I love this because it also contains salicylic acid and it isn't going to completely dry me out. I actually stopped using this for a couple of weeks trying out another toner, and my skin was noticeably worse, so this is really a key step as far as I'm concerned.

Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads ($44.95) is my holy grail. End of story. If you've got sensitive skin or you just want something a little gentler, they do have a gentle version of this which contains 5% glycolic acid complex while this one contains 10%. One side of the pads is normal, while the other is meant to be exfoliating. I wipe one pad all over my face and neck after cleansing until it's pretty much dry. I've noticed a massive difference in my scarring since I started using this product daily, some of the more recent ones have faded completely and ones that I've had for ages are starting to lighten. This also contains salicylic acid, which is awesome for preventing and treating breakouts as well. Definitely a win/win situation as far as I'm concerned- and also, they smell like peach bellini!

Peter Thomas Roth Acne Spot and Area Treatment ($39.95) is my spot treatment of choice. I know the price tag's pretty hefty, but I do really recommend this one. It contains 5% sulfur, which means it doesn't smell the greatest, but it definitely gets the job done. While it does sting, I like that it's not super harsh- and by that I mean, you don't have to worry about accidentally bleaching your clothes or bed sheets (I'm looking at you, benzoyl peroxide!). My spots don't hang around for as long when I use this, and even though it takes a couple of zaps to get rid of pesky ones, this works wonders in terms of reducing redness. It does leave a bit of a residue, though- so save it for night time!

LUSH Grease Lightning ($9.95) is the treatment I like to use during the day. The active ingredient in this one is tea tree oil, which is all natural (and all awesome). I love that this dries clear, so I just dab a little bit on the offending area and wait for it to dry before doing the rest of my morning routine. It does a really good job at soothing the affected area, so it's less red and painful during the day.

That wraps up the skin care I'm currently using to keep my skin clear. Although I'm pretty happy with the routine I've got going on, I'd love to hear about any products that have worked for you!